Cinerary urns, also known as cremation urns, funeral urns or burial urns, are used to hold the ashes or cremation remains of a dead person or dead animal. The cinerary urn (hereinafter simply the “urn”) may then be buried at a gravesite, placed in a mausoleum or columbarium, or kept at the home of the next of kin, according to local custom and religious practice.
Traditionally, burial of an urn is accomplished by manually lowering the urn into the ground or by placing the urn in a bag and then lowering the urn using a cord attached to the bag in other cases, casket-lowering equipment is sometimes used to lower the urn, although this is generally awkward.
Applicant is aware of one prior-art urn-lowering device. This device is sold by Holland Supply Inc (of Holland, Mich., United States of America), and is shown at http://www.hollandsupplyinc.com/lowering_devices.htm. This prior-art urn-lowering device is simply a modified version of the casket-lowering device. This device has a fixed outer frame and a movable interior frame that is lowered using a manual crank. The main problem with this prior-art urn-lowering device is that there is nothing to release the urn once it has been lowered into the hole in the ground. After the ceremony, the urn has to be raised back up, the urn-lowering device removed, and then the urn is placed in the hole by hand. This is clearly an unsatisfactory technique.
An improved urn-lowering apparatus that is able to release the urn when it has been lowered into the ground thus remains highly desirable. Such an improvement would provide a far more dignified burial for the family and friends of the deceased.